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Landlords, self-employed get state aid on honor system
“A (Milwaukee) Journal Sentinel investigation found property owners with major sources of rental income who did not reveal it in applications for public assistance. The cases reveal a gap in regulation that affects every public assistance program in the state. Local and state regulators fail to verify actual income when applicants report that they make…
Read MoreMIA work ‘acutely dysfunctional’
“Largely beyond the public spotlight, the decades-old pursuit of bones and other MIA evidence is sluggish, often duplicative and subjected to too little scientific rigor, (an internal military) report says. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the internal study after Freedom of Information Act requests for it by others were denied.”
Read MoreExtra Extra Monday: Payday fees, ATF stings, inpatient bills and unpaid attorneys
The Koch Club | Investigative Reporting WorkshopKoch foundations gave more than $41 million to 89 nonprofits from 2007-2011, part of a wide effort at funding organizations with public policy, education and political interests that align with those of Koch Industries, run by Charles and David Koch. The Investigative Reporting Workshop examined Internal Revenue Service documents…
Read More13 excessive force complaints against Minneapolis police officer involved in Terrence Franklin shooting
His supervisors and fellow officers praise Officer Lucas Peterson as a courageous and exemplary cop. Court records offer a different view — an officer whose aggressive methods frequently cross the line, according to a Star Tribune report. Since he joined the force in 2000, he has been named in at least 13 excessive force complaints…
Read MoreATF uses fake drugs, big bucks to snare suspects
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has locked up more than 1,000 people using controversial sting operations that entice suspects to rob nonexistent drug stash houses. See how the stings work and who they target in this USA Today report.
Read MoreOregon Employment Department shake-up casts spotlight on accusations of nepotism
An ongoing investigation by The Oregonian into the Employment Department shake-up shows that familial relationships figured prominently as the agency’s top tier unraveled. The director is retiring after a state probe, the deputy abruptly departed for a lower-paying state job, and the No. 3 was fired as Gov. John Kitzhaber’s administration cleaned house.
Read MoreMatthew Tully: Fireworks lobby ensures nightly barrage in Indiana neighborhoods despite noise, danger
In a state with some of the nation’s loosest laws, fireworks stands pop up this time of year like weeds in your garden — in strip malls, abandoned big-box stores and under tents by the side of the road. Millions of dollars are spent, an estimated $50 million annually in this state alone, on fireworks…
Read MoreNearly One in Five Members of Congress Gets Paid Twice
About 90 members from both chambers collected a government pension atop their taxpayer-financed $174,000 salary in 2012, National Journal found in an examination of recent financial records. The practice is called “double-dipping.”
Read MoreNSA in Utah: Mining a mountain of data
In many ways, the new Utah Data Center is the quintessential black box. But a sharper picture of what is likely to go on within its walls has come into focus with recently leaked documents on NSA surveillance, combined with prior revelations, building specifics, information from defense contractors and hints dropped by top NSA brass,…
Read MoreTo Cope with Sequester, Justice Department Staffs Unpaid Attorneys
A ProPublica report finds there are 96 unpaid special assistant U.S. attorneys working for the Justice Department, according to a spokesperson, who said paid assistant U.S attorneys have starting salaries ranging from $44,581 to $117,994.
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